Season 35, Week 4
Nel Zelpher
(Star Ocean: Till the End of Time) 		 
Their personalities could scarcely be more different, but Nel and Rosa are both versatile Heavy fighters who put healing first, but can do a whole lot more than that. Both have heavy damage and debilitating status attacks. In all areas, though, the White Mage has a lot to learn from the Crimson Blade in the art of duelling. Nel possesses greater agility and a far deeper store of MP than her opponent, allowing her to strike first, put more immediate pressure on her foe, and last longer. An even greater advantage, however, is her ability to destroy Rosa's MP with Splitting Sky and Flying Guillotine. With the greater resourcefulness one would expect of an Aquarian special agent, Nel will tip this battle of healing decisively in her favor, and advance to the Heavy finals. One of the Baron royals fell last week, and it seems that the second is soon to follow.

V

S

 Rosa Harvey enters this week's duel with skyrocketing confidence, and secure in the knowledge that she has all the magic and equipment she'd ever need to easily defeat her opponent. That's not to say that a few of Nel's physical techniques - something Rosa is pretty light on - don't worry her. She'll have to be careful to avoid Ice Daggers, Flying Guillotine and Splitting Sky, all of which can either incapacitate her or destroy her MP, thus rendering her nigh-helpless. However, Rosa has an easy counter to all of Nel's tricks: Mini. This simple incantation can shut down Nel's offense and defense entirely. She can also use Blink to avoid a great deal of Nel's attacks and Holy to devastate her health. Rosa may have a long road ahead of her, but with her skills and abilities, it's one she can manage easily as long as she puts all her effort into the fight.

SageAcrin
The innocent shrieks.

The leering crowd.

Who would do this to two poor girls.

---

"AAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!" Rosa shrieked at the top of her lungs.

"...That's it, this contest is too stupid for me." Nel said in disgust, as she walked out of the arena.

And so, Rosa won the Duelling League's first screaming contest, as well as a ticket to the finals.

Then a flaming Sten collided with Rosa.

It turns out Rubicant was really bored before this match, and offered to stand guard. Sheer numbers, ultimately, won out with perversion-several dozen were killed, but the rest managed to get by while he was distracted.

And that's how Rosa ended up with half her clothes burned off.

On the upside, the later shrieks would have won her the match if Nel hadn't quit, anyways.

Nel lacks that upper register.

Sometimes, when you refuse to fight, you win. In a spiritual sense, anyways. And in a sense of not having a burning monkey grope you.

Nel Zelpher: 38
Rosa Harvey: 40

T.G. Nevareh
I love Rosa Harvey. I really do. She takes the whole love interest character aspect to a whole new level, spending time in the party where she is significantly more useful than her male counterpart. The party would literally die without her in so many instances that it's a wonder that SHE isn't the protagonist. Rosa also went to the Cleric school of fighting as opposed to the White Mage school, so she actually has hit points and can hurt things without magic. She wears what can only be assumed to be an iron bikini, and Star Wars: The Return of the Jedi taught us what love interests in iron bikinis can do.

It's too bad that she's going up against someone who kind of specializes in shutting down magic-users in the arena. Sure, in Star Ocean: Till the End of Time, magic-users are the last ones you want to use MP-damaging attacks on since they're probably physically weaker and have fewer hit points relative to magic points. In the Duelling Arena, though, the quirks of her game combined with her innate specialties make Nel an absolutely fantastic mage-killer.

Also unfortunately for Rosa, Nel duked it out with Hector and won, so that doesn't say much for Rosa's chances in a pure physical fight.

Nel wouldn't win against someone who is merely above-average in all areas. However, against people who are very specialized and have very specific weaknesses, like Hector and Rosa, Nel can just hit them where it hurts over and over again without fear of adequate retribution.

I guess it's possible for Rosa to win if she Mutes Nel before Nel can close the distance and then hits Nel with White/Holy (depending on your preference) until she's a very, very sacred pile of meat, but I don't see this working. Nel wins because Nel can eat away at Rosa's MP with astonishing speed, and without her MP Rosa isn't a Heavy. She probably isn't even a Middle.